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Software requirements engineer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a software requirements engineer. Software requirements engineers usually study computer science, electrical engineering, or mechanical engineering. 71% of software requirements engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 23% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 55 real software requirements engineer resumes to see exactly what software requirements engineer education sections show.
The most common colleges for software requirements engineers are the University of Notre Dame and the University of Notre Dame.
There are also many online software requirements engineer courses to help get the education required to be a software requirements engineer.
What education do you need to become a software requirements engineer?
What degree do you need to be a software requirements engineer?
- Bachelor's, 71%
- Master's, 23%
- Associate, 4%
- Doctorate, 2%
What should I major in to become a software requirements engineer?
- Computer Science, 21%
- Psychology, 7%
- Other Majors, 49%
Most common colleges for software requirements engineers
| Software requirements engineer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Notre Dame | 7.69% |
| Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey | 7.69% |
| University of California - Davis | 7.69% |
| George Mason University | 7.69% |
| University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee | 7.69% |
Best majors for software requirements engineers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Computer Science | 20.9% |
| 2 | Electrical Engineering | 14.0% |
| 3 | Mechanical Engineering | 9.3% |
| 4 | Psychology | 7.0% |
| 5 | Information Systems | 4.7% |
Best colleges for software requirements engineers
The best colleges for software requirements engineers are California Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and University of Pennsylvania.
A software requirements engineer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for software requirements engineers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become software requirements engineers.
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,832
Enrollment
4,550
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$12,424
Enrollment
15,201
4. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
5. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Pomona, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,353
Enrollment
24,841
6. Texas A&M University
College Station, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$11,870
Enrollment
53,194
7. University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$19,080
Enrollment
19,127
8. Southern Methodist University
Dallas, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$54,492
Enrollment
6,448
9. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
10. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
20 best online courses for software requirements engineers
Advertising disclosure
1. Software Engineering Immersive (Full-time)
Meet the global demand for technical problem-solvers by developing your coding skills to create full-stack web applications across multiple frameworks, incorporating functionality from third-party APIs, executing software engineering projects in an Agile development workflow, and more...
2. Data Science Immersive (Full-time)
Harness the power of data science to solve the world’s most challenging problems by developing your skills in predictive modeling, pattern recognition, data visualization, wrangling massive data sets, forecasting trends, and informing strategy across diverse industries like public policy, robotics, and FinTech...
3. Programming for Data Science with R
Prepare for a data science career by learning the fundamental data programming tools: R, SQL, command line, and git...
4. Full Stack Web Developer
Design and develop modern web applications.Students will also learn how to deploy a Flask-based web application to the cloud using Docker and Kubernetes...
5. Requirements Engineering: Secure Software Specifications
This specialization is intended for software engineers, development and product managers, testers, QA analysts, product analysts, tech writers, and security engineers. Even if you have experience in the requirements realm, this course will expand your knowledge to include new viewpoints, development styles, techniques and tools.\n\nFor anyone seeking a graduate degree, certificate, or professional degree in computer science, these courses will additionally give you a broad understanding of how...
6. Requirements Gathering for Secure Software Development
In Software Requirements Elicitation for Secure Software Development, we're going to discuss the overall software requirements process as it applies in waterfall, spiral, and agile models. You'll learn about each of these processes and your goals as a software requirements analyst. This is not an easy task! Who do you talk to, when, and what kind of knowledge are you trying to obtain, in any software life cycle? How do you handle obstacles as you go? These are the questions we will focus on...
7. Requirements Engineering: Software Engineering
Everything you need to know about software requirements: elicitation, analysis, documentation, validation and management...
8. Software Development: Better Requirements Gathering Skills
Boost Your Software Requirements Gathering Skills Today! Learn The Techniques That Work!...
9. Data Science (Part Time)
Create robust predictive models with statistics and Python programming. Build confidence and credibility to tackle complex machine learning problems on the job. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...
10. Python Programming (Part Time)
Gain fluency in Python — the world's fastest-growing major programming language — and start leveraging its versatile capabilities to build web and data science applications. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...
11. Android Kotlin Developer
Master Android app development with Kotlin, a modern programming language that enables developers to be more concise and productive. Build professional apps for the world's most popular mobile platform using Android Studio and Kotlin...
12. Artificial Intelligence for Trading
Complete real-world projects designed by industry experts, covering topics from asset management to trading signal generation. Master AI algorithms for trading, and build your career-ready portfolio...
13. Requirements Writing
Welcome to "Requirements Writing". As the title indicates, over the next four weeks, we will be looking at the important task of writing of text-based requirement statements. The course takes you step by step through the rules for writing requirements statements in accordance with the "Guide for Writing Requirements" published by the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE). This course welcomes anyone who wants to find out how to write requirements. It is relevant to anyone in...
14. Software Engineering
Software development is not just about coding, it also involves the application of scientific knowledge and well-defined engineering techniques to produce maintainable, scalable, cost-effective and on-schedule software products. This specialization covers software engineering methodologies, techniques, and tools for planning, capturing requirements, designing, implementing, testing, and maintaining large-scale software systems. It combines scientific and technological knowledge with many...
15. Agile Business Analysis: Getting / Writing Lean Requirements
How to Discover Requirements, User Stories, Features, and Gherkin (G-W-T) Tests - Now with Chat GPT!...
16. Business Analysis: Functional & Non-Functional Requirements
Simple Requirements Decomposition / Drill-Down Techniques for Defining Product Behaviors and Qualities (Now with AI)...
17. Front-End Web Development (Part Time)
Start building responsive websites with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript — a versatile skill set with powerful applications in a variety of design, marketing, and other tech-adjacent roles. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...
18. JavaScript Development (Part Time)
Gain fluency in JavaScript — the world's most popular programming language — and start leveraging its versatile capabilities to build rich, interactive websites and applications. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...
19. Data Engineer
Learn to design data models, build data warehouses and data lakes, automate data pipelines, and work with massive datasets...
20. iOS Developer
Master the Swift programming language, and create a portfolio of iOS apps for iPhone and iPad to showcase your skills!...
Top 10 most affordable universities for software requirements engineers
The most affordable schools for software requirements engineers are United States Merchant Marine Academy, california state university - long beach, and university of florida.
If the best universities for software requirements engineers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for software requirements engineers.
1. United States Merchant Marine Academy
Kings Point, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$1,080
Cost of attendance
6,646
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
4. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
7. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Pomona, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,353
Cost of attendance
21,302
8. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Socorro, NM • Private
In-state tuition
$7,770
Cost of attendance
21,244
9. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
10. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for software requirements engineers
The hardest universities for software requirements engineers to get into are California Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for software requirements engineers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for software requirements engineers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,566
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,545
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
5. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
6. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
7. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
8. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
9. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,465
10. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for software requirements engineers
The easiest schools for software requirements engineers to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, capitol technology university, and san francisco state university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a software requirements engineer without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for software requirements engineers.
1. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
2. Capitol Technology University
Laurel, MD • Private
Admissions rate
69%
SAT average
1,070
3. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
4. The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,035
5. Saint Cloud State University
Saint Cloud, MN • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
1,086
6. Portland State University
Portland, OR • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,111
7. Pennsylvania State University - Altoona
Altoona, PA • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,094
8. Sonoma State University
Rohnert Park, CA • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,072
9. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
10. Old Dominion University
Norfolk, VA • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,093
Average software requirements engineer salary by education level
| Software requirements engineer education level | Software requirements engineer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $100,481 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $91,425 |
| Doctorate Degree | $109,731 |
Software requirements engineer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025